Seahawks need to overcome Wahle’s departure on line

For a team ravaged by injuries last year, the last thing the Seattle Seahawks needed was to lose one of their top offensive linemen before the first snap of training camp.

Veteran Mike Wahle was waived by the club after failing his physical on Friday morning, an event that wasn’t eased by the fact that many saw it coming after the 304-pound guard had struggled to recover from shoulder surgery he underwent last December.

Center Chris Spencer snaps the ball during Friday’s first training camp practice as the Seahawks look to get their offensive line pieced back together. (AP photo/Ted S. Warren)

“For a guy of that caliber to be done is a tough situation,” said left tackle Walter Jones, himself just coming back from microfracture surgery to his left leg. “I see guys come and go and I’m still here and still holding on. I take my hat off to him.”

Wahle’s absence will be felt by an offense that had hoped to have all its pieces back after a difficult 4-12 season in which all five starting linemen went down with injuries.

“We know just like every year there is going to be injuries,” said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. “One of the things we need this year is have as many guys as possible come back and have a good year. In my mind, that’s a big loss and a big void.

“He was a great teammate and we had a lot of talks in our meetings today about the kind of teammate that the coaches are looking for us to be. Mike defines what we are looking for.”

Head coach Jim Mora said Wahle seemed ready to move on to a new phase of life after 11 seasons in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowl guard played 152 games in the league, but just 10 with Seattle after signing a five-year deal as a free agent last year.

“He worked really hard to get back to the point where he could be an effective player, and it just didn’t happen,” Mora said. “It just didn’t happen.”

Mora tried to minimize the impact, saying the team needed to make it just a “hiccup” before moving on. Rob Sims was moved over to left guard and Mansfield Wrotto and Max Unger will be given shots at Sims’ old right guard spot.

Sean Locklear also will be given a look at guard, if Ray Willis can take over the right tackle position where he saw considerable time with the first unit Friday.

“It’s a bit of a puzzle,” said Mora, who’ll spend much of camp figuring out which five players form the best unit up front.

Of course, one part of the puzzle that won’t be moved is Jones on the left side. That anchor remains firmly in place, even if his recovering leg allowed him only to work during the first part of Friday’s drills as he takes his return slow.

Jones has skipped training camps in the past during contract negotiations, but he says he needs to be at this one while getting his legs back and learning the new offensive system.

“I need to be out here as much as I can, getting back in shape and running around and getting back to the old Walt,” he said.

On a day the Seahawks lost one member of the old guard, those were welcome words indeed.